


The Sick Day Protocol

by ohjustpeachy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Caretaking, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Irondad, M/M, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Sick Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-09
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2020-02-29 04:51:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18771562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohjustpeachy/pseuds/ohjustpeachy
Summary: Tony is a terrible sick person when Steve is away. Peter goes to the tower expecting to work on his suit, and instead finds Tony snoring in the lab. Terrible, teenage attempts at caretaking ensue.





	The Sick Day Protocol

Peter wasn't  _ bored _ at school, not really, anyway. Not like he had been at his previous school, before MSST. May liked to joke that he was too smart for his own good, but really that just meant he could keep up with the kids at school, rather than be constantly ridiculed for his stupid nerd brain. But he was bored in the sense that in comparison with, say, saving the neighborhood or spending the day in Mr. Stark’s lab, school was like taking a seven hour nap until his real education started. 

No offense to Mrs. Bittout’s French class, obviously. 

Today in particular, Peter was having a hard time concentrating, because today was the day he was going over to the tower to work on his suit with Tony. He hoped this meant he would finally know how the thing worked, instead of hoping for the best with Karen every time. And maybe they could  _ finally _ discuss scaling back the Baby Monitor Protocol. 

He lets his mind wander until the bell rings, and the day is finally over. He nearly crashes into Ned after class, making another flimsy excuse as to why he couldn’t hangout this particular afternoon. Luckily, though, this time he hardly had to lie. 

“Uh, can’t! Stark Internship check in thing today!” He says, off like a shot before Ned can so much as open his mouth. He would apologize again later, for sure. In the meantime though, Peter’s thoughts were already on Avengers Tower. 

When he gets there, making record time, he lets himself in, finding the place eerily quiet. Tony isn’t in the kitchen, or the living room, where he usually meets Peter when he knows he’s coming over. He would deny it every time, but Tony totally prepares for those days with an after-school snack, conveniently stocking up on Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or stopping for burgers minutes before Peter arrived. Today there were no signs of life, let alone snacks. Peter continues poking through the place. 

“Mr. Stark? Hellooo? It’s me, Peter… Parker,” he adds unnecessarily, but just in case. 

“Sir is in the workshop, Peter,” FRIDAY’S voice in the silent hallway nearly sends him through the roof in surprise. 

“God! Sorry, I thought he knew I was coming, but he must have forgotten, or gotten busy with something else,” Peter says, spirits falling slightly. 

“He’s sleeping, not working,” FRIDAY informs him. Peter swears that if an AI could sound worried, she was. 

“Sleeping? It’s only 3:30. Should I wake him up, or?” 

“That might be best, Mr. Parker,” FRIDAY confirms. 

He wastes no more time, nearly running to the elevator, FRIDAY taking him downstairs. 

Sure enough, he finds Tony snoring on the futon he keeps in the corner. Though, Peter has seen a lot of futons, and this thing was way too fancy to be called that. Tony doesn’t look comfortable, his neck thrown back in a way that would definitely hurt him later. Peter taps him gently on the shoulder. 

“Mr. Stark,” he stage whispers. “It’s Peter. Wake up… Mr. Stark!” He says again. And honestly, this is just awkward, he should go home, let the guy sleep, it’s not the worst thing in the world. The Baby Monitor Protocol could stand another day, he figures. 

“Huh- What? Steve?” Tony’s eyes flutter open, blinking up at Peter in confusion. 

“Uh, no, Steve’s not here, I don’t think anyone’s home, actually. I came by to work on the suit, remember? Hey, what were you working on, this is-” He’s reaching toward something glowing on Tony’s workspace, and just like that, he’s up like a shot. 

“Don’t touch  _ t _ -that,” Tony tries to warn him, but ends up leaning to the side as a coughing fit rips through him. 

“Are you okay? That doesn’t sound good, Mr. Stark. And you thought I was Captain Rogers when you woke up.”

“Never better, Spiderling, just got a little tired…  _ snf!”  _ Tony breaks off mid-sentence to rub at his nose, an unfocused look coming over his face, clicking everything into place for Peter. 

“Are you…  _ sick? _ ” Peter is almost incredulous. It’s hard to picture Tony Stark being taken down by something as simple as a cold, but that’s clearly what was happening here. 

“ _ N- _ no- _ ”  _ Tony sneezes once, quickly, rubbing at his nose and shaking his head at Peter to stop him from talking. " God, just kill me kid, it would be less painful,” Tony says, sniffling. 

“Bless you! Maybe we should go back upstairs, I can make you some tea… or something?” Peter offers, hesitantly. He’s not really sure what he’s supposed to do now; he’d never had to deal with a sick adult before, especially not one like Tony Stark. 

“Tea? You sound like Steve now, mother henning at me,” Tony tries to sound annoyed, but Peter thinks he sounds a little sad. 

“Where  _ is _ Captain Rogers?” He can’t help but ask. 

“Mission. Should be back later tonight,” Tony sighs, a stuffy, pathetic sounding thing. “He usually bullies me into bed when stuff like this happens,” Tony explains.

“You mean when you have a cold?” 

“Whatever. I’m pretty sure I’m dying, actually, so,” Tony says.

Peter holds a box of tissues out triumphantly, having fished it out from the depths of a nearby drawer. “You sound like you need these,” he tells him. "Let’s go upstairs. Maybe you can sleep like a normal person.”

Tony grabs the tissue box and follows, weirdly quiet on the ride upstairs.

\--

“Okay, Mr. Stark, what does Captain Rogers usually do when you’re sick?” Peter asks. He has a newfound determination to help as best he can, if only because he’s worried the guy would pass out in the basement again if left unattended.

“Yells at me for working, mostly,” Tony mutters, burying his nose in a tissue. Peter tries to fix him with his most intimidating, villain-crushing stare.

“He has this soup he makes, some super secret recipe of his mom’s,” Tony admits, and Peter celebrates a little, having cracked him. 

“Soup! Okay, I can manage that.” Peter is taking off for the kitchen, but turns back around. “ _ Don’t _ go anywhere, okay?”

Tony laughs and it quickly turns to a painful-sounding cough. “Whatever you say, Doogie Howser,” Tony says, mock saluting him. 

Peter looks at him, confused. “Who?”

“Kid, don’t make me hurt you, just go,” Tony sighs. Peter just shrugs and makes his way to the kitchen. He’d Google it later.

He ransacks the kitchen, not sure where anything is, but manages to find a can of chicken noodle soup. He heats it up, impatient as it warms on the stove. After a few minutes, he figures it has to be done, pours it into a giant bowl, and carries it back out to the living room. Tony’s hair is still sticking up all over the place after his nap in the lab, and his nose is much pinker than it was before.

“Okay, it’s not Steve’s family recipe, but it is a classic: Campbell’s,” Peter says proudly, passing the bowl to Tony. 

Tony thanks him, smiling over fondly at him. “You don’t have to do all this, you know. I’m a big boy,” he reminds him. He takes a tentative first bite, and it takes all his self control not to make a face. It was nearly ice cold. Tony forces himself to swallow, Peter looking too pleased to do anything else, nodding like it was the best meal he’d ever had. 

“Did I do okay?” Peter asks, eagerly. 

“ _ Perfect _ , thanks, Pete.” Tony says, wondering how, exactly, he was going to eat much more of it.

After a few minutes and five more bites, he ends up claiming that it hurts his throat to eat very much, shivering a little as he talks. Peter’s off again at the sight, raiding a nearby closet and returning with what appeared to be every blanket they owned, dumping them on Tony unceremoniously. It would be cozy if it wasn’t also in danger of suffocating him. 

He smiles despite himself, shifting as best he can underneath the weight of them. “I’m good, really. How about we just put on a movie and relax?” He suggests, eyes already feeling heavy thanks to the warmth and heft of the blankets surrounding him. Maybe Peter was better at this than he gave him credit for. 

“Sure, Mr. Stark,” Peter agrees. 

“You pick,” Tony says, dangerously close to sleeping now. He couldn’t find a remote if he tried. His eyes open again, remembering why Peter came over in the first place. 

“Shit, the suit. I’m sorry, we can work on it another day, promise I won’t conk out on you,” Tony mumbles. “I owe you one. Or Steve does,” he adds, smiling a little. 

“I got you, Mr. Stark. But hey, maybe we can talk about the Baby Monitor thing next time?” Peter asks, hopefully. 

Tony chuckles. “We’ll see.” 

He falls asleep again shortly after that, Peter snuggled up on the other side of the couch, one of the discarded blankets pulled around him,  _ Star Wars _ playing on the giant screen in front of him. Peter glances over at him, barely holding back a laugh. He texts Captain Rogers a picture of Tony, mouth open in a loud, wide snore, nose pink and wrapped up like a burrito. He’d probably hear about it for a month, but it was worth it. 

\--

When Tony wakes up, hours later, Peter is gone but Steve is home, sitting close to him on the couch, absently running a hand through Tony’s hair; he hums at the contact. He’s so warm and comfortable that despite how stuffed up he still is, Tony is perfectly content to stay there forever. He shifts a little and is rewarded with a kiss on his forehead.

“Hi,” Tony says, voice raspy and thick sounding. 

“Hi,” Steve smiles down at him. “Heard I had some help taking care of you this afternoon.”

Tony just laughs, telling Steve about the soup, Peter’s determination, the pile of blankets. Steve shares the burrito photo with him, but only after making Tony swear he would go easy on the kid for sending it to him. 

It’s not until later that Tony notices Peter left a glass of water and the bottle of cold medicine on the end table next to him. Beside them is a note, hastily scrawled.

_ Mr. Stark, I hope you’re feeling better!! FRIDAY promised to let me and Captain Rogers know if you do anything crazy, like try to go back downstairs and work. This is the Baby Monitor Protocol now, no take backs! :-)  _

_ — Peter _

Tony has to laugh.


End file.
